Faculty Research Assistant: Fish & Wildlife

OSU Oregon State University • Corvallis, OR

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences invites applications for a full-time (1.00 FTE), 12-month, fixed-term Faculty Research Assistant position. Reappointment is at the discretion of the Department Head. The Faculty Research Assistant supports research on Pacific Northwest avian species monitored via autonomous recording units (ARUs) across managed landscapes in the region, working closely with the Pacific Northwest Research Station wildlife team on avian data collection, validation, and modeling. Duties include coordinating and leading field crews; collecting, organizing, and quality-controlling acoustic and field data; identifying PNW bird species by sight and sound, including discrimination of overlapping vocalizations in ARU spectrograms; validating automated detections against expert identification; and contributing to statistical models of species detection probability and occupancy. The role also summarizes and interprets results for reporting. This position supports multiple research projects and requires someone able to work independently, prioritize competing tasks, and carry out both field and analytical duties with minimal supervision. Strong candidates bring prior ARU/bioacoustic experience, expert PNW bird ID skills by sound, and proficiency in R or Python. College of Agricultural Sciences faculty are committed to enhancing student success by engaging students in quality academic, research, internships, global studies, and other experiential learning opportunities. Positions with primary responsibility for Extension and outreach are likewise committed to learner success through programming appropriate for diverse audiences. There is an expectation that, as part of your role in the college, you embody and advance the principles and practices conveyed in the CAS CARE Commitment document. FWCS is an academic unit that reports to the College of Agricultural Sciences. The Department is composed of approximately 300 staff, including academic faculty, research assistants, classified staff, graduate students, and temporary staff. Over $8 million of externally funded grants and contracts are received each year in support of science focused on basic ecological research, conservation, and sustainable use of fish and wildlife and their habitats. The Department is the largest in the College of Agricultural Sciences, with over 1000 students in 8 degree and certificate programs, including one Bachelor of Science degree, five graduate degrees, and two graduate certificates.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Wildlife Ecology or related field.
• Must be able to identify birds in the Pacific Northwest visually and based on vocalizations.
• Experience in coordinating and leading fieldwork efforts.
• Experience with remote fieldwork both alone and as part of a team.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct independent and collaborative research.
• Demonstrated ability to independently meet deadlines and manage workloads.
• Must be able to code in program R and Python.
• Must have experience developing Bayesian occupancy models.
• Must have experience processing audio data using BirdNet, PNW-Cnet, or some other convolutional neural network.
• Understand how wildlife monitoring informs forest management in the Pacific Northwest.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s Degree in Wildlife Science or related field.
• Experience analyzing data in R, Excel, and ArcGIS.
• Experience working with large multidisciplinary research teams.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Experience contributing to scientific publications.

Responsibilities

• Validate species detections generated by BirdNET and PNW-Cnet against expert visual and auditory identification
• Manage a large relational database of avian survey data, call validations, and audio files
• Analyze ARU and avian distribution data using R, including script development for data management and modeling
• Contribute to development of statistical models predicting species detection and occupancy
• Write reports and co-author manuscripts for peer-reviewed publication
• Collect field data independently in remote locations, with travel and backcountry camping as needed
• Develop field protocols, monitor data quality, and summarize fieldwork outcomes

Benefits

• Starting salary will be commensurate with skills, education, and experience.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level